YES YOU CAN leave the guilt, kids, spouse, BFF, or significant other behind and set off solo for your next vacation. Increasing numbers of savvy travelers are doing just that and returning home the better for it.
Single or not, male or female, on a budget or ready to splurge, looking to learn or seeking solitude, traveling on your own is so much easier when you take out the guesswork.
To help get you started, here’s a selection of best bets for solo-friendly travel.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
THE WORLD, À LA CARTE
For those of us who can’t imagine experiencing a new place any way but food first, we’re in luck. Michelin, the bible of epicureans on the go for over 100 years, now offers foodies a new way to eat, drink and sleep their way around the planet. For travellers’ with twin appetites for great food and one-of-a-kind experiences, they’ve launched a new culinary travel series, Michelin Food and Travel.
© Ellen Barone.
Michelin Food & Travel experiences are wholly customizable, but here’s a few sample itinerary highlights to whet your appetite:
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
DECK THE HALLS AT FAIRMONT HOTELS & RESORTS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
If you’re scouring the globe for the best place to reunite with family or escape the holiday rush, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has a full selection of activities, packages and celebrations to choose from:
United States
In Boston, The Fairmont Copley Plaza offers a variety of packages to make the holiday season bright. For a gift buying getaway, the city’s Faneuil Hall Marketplace is a premier shopping spot featuring over 125 shops and restaurants within three impeccably restored 19th century buildings. The Faneuil Hall Marketplace Holiday Shop & Stay Package is available from November 20 to December 30, 2010, and includes an elegant guestroom and a VIP welcome packet full of special incentives, offers and interactive experiences with the Faneuil Hall Marketplace merchants. Rates start at $219 USD per night. For those who want to explore the city in a more leisurely way, the hotel also offers its Twelve Days of Christmas Package from December 14 to 30, 2010. The package includes an elegant guestroom, Sleigh Ride a traditional Holiday CD from the Boston POPS, and a late check-out of 4:00 p.m. Guests can plan a full day of shopping, dining and enjoying the festive holiday season with rates starting from $209USD per night.
In California, Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa has a wonderful holiday season in store for guests. The Inn is once again pleased to offer authentically local Wine Country Winter holiday activities that promise to delight guests of all ages. A complete schedule of holiday events are planned including Victorian carolers, (seasonally-inspired) cooking demonstrations, wine tastings and S’mores by the outdoor fire-pit with special guest appearances. With the Water and Wine package, revelers can enjoy organically sustainable wine, bath house passes to the resort’s famed geo-thermal bath house, daily docent-guided hikes and a Farm-to-Fork dinner for two at the Michelin-rated Santé dining room. Package is valid for stays until December 30, 2010 with rates starting from $449 USD per night.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
From private wildlife tours and ski free packages to romantic sleigh rides and hand crafted, custom built skis, the Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole offers a mountain of tempting winter adventures this season.
Winter Adventure Package
Offering an action-packed winter getaway, Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole’s Winter Adventure Package features a four-hour private wildlife tour providing guests the unique experience of observing animals in their natural habitat, a day trip by snowmobile to Granite Hot Springs for a soak in the restorative thermal waters, and a day of skiing on the legendary slopes of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
Ski Free Package
Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole’s popular Ski Free Package is offered throughout the season featuring two complimentary three-day ski lift tickets to the renowned Jackson Hole Mountain Resort with a five-night stay, and includes ski and boot rentals through its full-service Ski Concierge.
Ticket to the Tetons Package
Exclusive to Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole, the Ticket to the Tetons package outfits a guest with a pair of Igneous hand crafted, custom built skis designed by avid Jackson Hole skiers. Guests booking the package will be introduced to Igneous head engineer, Michael Parris, who will work with the guest prior to arrival to create his or her custom skis. The package also features a four-night stay in one of the resort’s luxury one-bedroom suites and includes a three-day lift ticket for two and a day of skiing with a private guide on the celebrated slopes of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The package must be booked 60-days in advance.
Bed and Breakfast Package
Ideal for couples seeking a relaxing winter retreat, the Bed and Breakfast Package at Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole includes breakfast for two in Westbank Grill and access to the resort’s famous alpine inspired Health Club and Spa, as well as its Base Camp concierge team who will create custom itineraries offering everything from romantic sleigh rides for two, to skiing or hiking through a winter wonderland of trails.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
a guest blog by Sandy Salle of Hills Africa Travel
One of the greatest concerns travelers have when it comes to international family travel is safety. We often hear from families who would love to travel to Africa but who also have some safety concerns: “Is a safari safe for our family?” “Are health conditions in Africa safe for my family?” “Is traveling to and through Africa safe for my family?”
The answer to all of those questions is yes, Africa is a safe and wonderful place to bring your family. But, as with all destinations outside of your own country, there are obvious safety precautions that should be addressed and looked into prior to departure.
Some of these universal travel concerns include health precautions, language barriers, differing cultures, and unfamiliar governments. With these concerns lingering, it’s important to be educated, and have the right tools to prevent any unexpected emergencies when traveling outside your native country. The enriching and rewarding family experiences far outweigh any of these concerning factors, as all safety precautions are addressed prior to departure.
But two of the most popular safety concerns we receive from clients are in regards to family safari tours and children on safari.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
I’ve been looking for an excuse to visit the South Pacific and this photo themed cruise sounds like the perfect opportunity. Read on for details…
Paul Gauguin Cruises invites guests aboard the m/s during the August 7th sailing to Tahiti and the Society Islands, as well as the August 14th sailing to the Society Islands and Tuamotus, to participate in a learning opportunity that covers an incredible range of photographic challenges and lessons through an elite photographic tour of the paradise that is French Polynesia.
Celebrated photographers Jesse Kalisher and Roger Paperno and accomplished graphic designer and artist Helen Kalisher share their knowledge about their art as they lead an unparalleled photo-expedition that covers everything from tropical flowers and white-sand beaches to magnificent views of Cook’s Bay, Mt. Rotui, and an ancient Tahitian stone temple.
The course will cover every aspect of photography on islands that deliver one amazing photograph after another.
Through the photography-themed sailings, participants will learn how to:
- capture movement when photographing local flora
- use a wide-angle lens or a telephoto lens
- to add perspective
- find the perfect shot
- capture the majesty of this spectacular landscape
- control light to create beautiful portraits in magnificent settings
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".